


Roses Have Thorns

by Titti



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Challenge Response, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2004-06-20
Updated: 2004-06-20
Packaged: 2019-01-16 05:18:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12336243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Titti/pseuds/Titti
Summary: Is it hate or is it love? That is the question





	Roses Have Thorns

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the The Classical Canon Challange at http://www.livejournal.com/community/hp_classic

"Leave it to Hermione to make me think of school." Ron was sitting under the shadow provided by one of the many trees that covered Hogwarts grounds. His boyfriend's head rested on his lap and Ron played idly with the soft hair.

"He's right, Hermione. Just because we're back at Hogwarts does not mean that you have to study." Harry had his back against the tree, and his eyes travelled over the newly cut grass. "It's weird, you know? It feels like yesterday that we left school, not five years ago."

"It's not strange, at all. Your problem is that you still haven't gotten used to not have someone trying to kill you. Really, Harry, you killed him five years ago. You should get over it." Hermione's nose went back to the book. "For your information, Ron, I'm not studying. I was thinking of Sirius and Severus."

Harry laughed. "Hermione, you're reading Muggle poems. How can that remind you of them?"

"Sonnets, Shakespeare's Sonnet 35, to be more precise, and it seems written for Sirius and   
Severus. Listen to this: 

_' No more be grieved at that which thou hast done:  
Roses have thorns, and silver fountains mud  
Clouds and eclipses stain both moon and sun,   
And loathsome canker lives in sweetest bud.  
All men make faults, and even I in this,   
Authorizing thy trespass with compare,   
Myself corrupting, salving thy amiss,   
Excusing thy sins more than thy sins are;   
For to thy sensual fault I bring in sense,   
Thy adverse party is thy advocate,   
And 'gainst myself a lawful plea commence:   
Such civil war is in my love and hate,   
That I an accessary needs must be,   
To that sweet thief which sourly robs from me.'_

"It's Severus forgiving Sirius, understanding that in life nothing is simple and things like the incident with Remus were tragic, but not the reason to hate each other for life," Hermione insisted.

"Snape doesn't forgive anyone." Ron shook his head. Merlin, he could see it in her face that she was about to go into teacher mode.

"Then, why did he make Sirius Head of Gryffindor when he became Headmaster?" Hermione asked. "I tell you, he has forgiven Sirius. You're not here. I see them every day, and they don't fight like they used to."

"I think it's wishful thinking on your part. Besides, the sonnet is obviously talking about love." Harry wasn't sure why he was arguing the point. Hermione was so far off that it wasn't worth discussing, yet he did, because with their jobs, they rarely saw each other, and he missed their time together. The trio...plus the ubiquitous boyfriend. "The best you can say is that they are civil to each other, but in love? Besides Snape is too much of a Slytherin."

Draco raised his head and smirked. "Right, Potter, because it's unheard for a Slytherin to end up with a Gryffindor." He smiled at Ron before kissing him gently and then he lay back down. "Sirius is a Black, a descendent of a long line of Slytherins, unlike Mr. Weasley here, who's a Gryffindor through and throughout."

"I love you, Draco, but are you mad? Sirius and Snape. That's absurd." Red hair flew in the wind as Ron shook his head. How could they even think such a thing was beyond him. 

"It's not absurd. Severus defended him when no one else would." Hermione looked at her friends. "Remember when we found Sirius again..."

* * *

It was the summer before their seventh year. The Death Eaters were attacking with increasing frequency: Muggles and wizards alike. Their ferocity increased as well. There were rumours of one Death Eater, crueler than Lucius Malfoy, and more reckless than anyone they had met.

Snape had tried to find out the identity of the man, but nothing had come of it. It was a strictly kept secret. To Snape's knowledge, only Voldemort and Bellatrix Lestrange were aware of the identity of this man.

One day, the Order stopped an attack, capturing most of the Death Eaters involved. Their outrage at the harm caused to defenceless Muggles became shock when they found Sirius Black among the Death Eaters.

"It can't be..." Tonks looked wide-eyed at her cousin. 

"Obviously, it can be," Remus snapped annoyed. He closed his eyes. Merlin, he was turning into Severus. He needed to perfect the scowl to go with the sarcastic tone and he was set. "All right, let's take him to Grimmauld Place."

"But... the Aurors..." Tonks said, not too convinced.

"Tonks, as you said, he shouldn't be here. He should be dead. We don't know what has happened. Let's take him to headquarters and Albus can decide what to do next." He looked at her with pleading eyes. "You know the Ministry will kill him if they see him. They won't wait to find out if there is an explanation." He couldn't turn his back on Sirius again. He had done it so many years ago, and he had been wrong, and yet he had seen Sirius kill a Muggle just a few minutes before.

Tonks and Remus quickly arranged to Portkey the man to Grimmauld Place, in front of the Black house. Dumbledore was already there, with Severus at his side. "It's Sirius," Remus said softly, but obviously they had been informed already.

They laid the unconscious body on the couch, and Remus looked up with apprehension. "Albus..."

The old wizard shook his head. "I don't know, Remus. We'll have to wait until he wakes. We do know that it's really Sirius or you wouldn't have been able to bring him inside without my permission as the Secret Keeper."

As he spoke, Severus approached the couch and raised his wand. He glared at Lupin when he saw the werewolf's hand on his wand. "I'm checking for spells, you dunderhead." After a moment, he shook his head and Dumbledore pulled out his own wand. He spent ten minutes, murmuring too softly for anyone to hear. "I can't detect any spell," he finally said.

Remus watched the exchange and like many times before, he could see a silent exchange between the two. Severus obviously understood what Dumbledore meant because he stood next to Dumbledore, wand at the ready, and a second later, Dumbledore revived Sirius.

The Gryffindor sat up with a jolt and found a wand pressed against his throat. Sirius raised his eyes and met the hatred in Severus' eyes with more hatred of his own.

"You move, you die. Again," Severus warned with a bored tone.

Sirius looked over at Dumbledore, but the old man seemed to agree with Snape. "What happened?" he asked, when he saw that no one would came to his aid.

His was the start of question and answers, of spells and counterspells. Sirius claimed that his last memories were from the day he went to rescue Harry at the Ministry in London. Dumbledore and Severus could find no evidence of a spell or potion that could have affected Sirius. Members of the Order tried to learn how Sirius had returned from behind the veil and how he had ended up under Voldemort's control, but also to no avail.

Two weeks passed, two long weeks during which Sirius was kept under custody at Grimmauld Place. The members of the Order would take turns watching him, but for some cosmic joke or due to Dumbledore's sick sense of humour, Severus had spent longer than usual periods of time guarding the Gryffindor. Sirius wouldn't have minded so much if the man had spoken to him. Instead, Snape would sit and read, asking random questions, nodding at the answers and going back to his books, but never answering any questions that Sirius posed.

One day, Severus came in, wand in hand. "Let's go," he said, ignoring Tonks who was on watching duty, and keeping his eyes on Sirius. When they reached the library, Sirius found every member present. All eyes were on him as Severus pushed him toward a chair and shoved him none too gently on it.

"Sirius, we're all here to determine what to do with you," Dumbledore said gravely. "You claim not to know anything and yet eight of our members saw you kill Muggles. When questioned under the Veritaserum, you revealed that you have killed for Voldemort."

"Albus, I know what I said, but I don't remember," Sirius cried out. "You must believe me." When he saw Dumbledore lower his eyes, he searched for his best friend. "Remus?" But the werewolf too lowered his eyes. "Harry?" he said softly, but he could see the agony on the boy's face.

The silence was interrupted by swirling robes. "If I may, Albus." Severus stood next to Sirius. "We can all agree that I'm not Black's biggest supporter. In fact, under normal circumstances, I'd be the first to give Black to the Dementors, but these aren't normal circumstances. The fact that we can't find a spell to prove that Voldemort was controlling Black does not mean that there isn't indeed one."

The Head of Slytherin ignored the voices around him and spoke to Dumbledore, knowing that in the end, Albus' decision would be accepted by the others. "We all know Black's hatred for The Dark Lord, his cousin and all things connected to Slytherin." At this point, he glared at Sirius before his eyes returned on Albus.

"There is also the fact that the Dark Lord and Bella were insistent on keeping Black's identity a secret. If Black had indeed been helping on a voluntary basis, letting you find out and making sure that he'd be rescued would have been in their best interest. They could have had the best spy in place. 

"In fact, if he'd been supporting their cause, I'd be dead now. The Dark Lord had no reason to question Black about my allegiance since he believes that he can read my mind, but if Black had not been controlled, I have no doubt that he would have revealed my position as a spy. As much as it pains me to say this, it seems logical that he's telling the truth."

Sirius looked up at Snape, eyes wider than Kreacher's. His enemy, the man he despised more than anyone after Voldemort, was standing there, pleading his cause, while everyone else seemed willing to send him to certain death, or worse, an existence without his soul.

"Who's to say that You Know Who won't put him under his control again? How can we trust to have him around?" Someone asked, but neither Sirius nor Severus bothered to look around. Sirius was too intent on watching Snape, and Severus' eyes were drilling into Dumbledore.

"We would have known in the past two weeks. There is no evidence that it happened. If we kill Black on a preventive measure, we are, in fact, no better than the Dark Lord," Severus said. "However, if it makes this lot of cowards feel better, we can move Black to the dungeon. I shall take full responsibility." He looked at Sirius from the corner of his eyes. "You will stay in my rooms or I will lock you inside a cage, Black."

Sirius snorted, while everyone decided to speak up at once. Dumbledore raised his hands to command silence. "Very well, Severus. Sirius will stay with you for the time being. Harry can lend us his cloak so that no one will suspect his arrival." He looked at Sirius, and some of the kindness returned. "Sirius, I know that staying in small quarters is not... ideal, but too many people know of your Animagus status. If they see you, even in dog form, we wouldn't be able to insure your safety."

Sirius surprised everyone. He didn't complain about being in the dungeon; he never insulted Snape or the Slytherins; instead, he nodded. "I understand, Albus."

* * *

"What are you four scheming?" The cold voice broke into Hermione's recount of the events, which were unknown to Draco. All four looked up to see Severus Snape, Headmaster of Hogwarts, Order of Merlin, first class, and host to the five-year anniversary of Voldemort's death. Only a step behind stood Sirius Black, Head of Gryffindor, dressed in proper teaching robes.

Draco sat up and grinned. "Hello, Severus. We were discussing Muggle poetry and whether, like Shakespeare, you could love and hate cousin dearest. We all agree on the hate part; it's the love part that it's creating conflict amongst the brilliant Gryffindors."

Severus raised his eyebrow. "How fascinating. What do you think, Draco?"

"That I'm too wise to ever express my opinion on the matter in public," he answered calmly.

"Always the coward's way out, you Slytherins," Sirius murmured.

"Oh my, cousin, you wound me." Draco cocked his head. "Since you are a brave Gryffindor, unlike everyone else in our family," he started with obvious sarcasm, "perhaps you would like to tell us who is right: hate only or love and hate?"

Sirius snorted. "How could I love a greasy git like him?"

"See, I told you," Ron exclaimed.

Draco gave his lover a condescending smile. "Ron, I know what you want to hear, but please, would you listen to what he said or didn't say?" He then looked up again. "I do not know how you could or could not, but the question is: do you in fact love him?"

Harry and Hermione looked at Draco, before turning to Severus and then Sirius. Hermione had a triumphant smile on her face, while Harry looked horrified at the possibility. "Sirius?" he asked and watched Sirius look on the ground.

Severus stepped in front of Harry's line of sight. "Before you even think of saying anything, remember who was ready to condemn him to the Dementors," he said. The venom in his voice cut through the air like a sharp dagger.

Sirius stepped closer and put a hand on Severus' back. "I'll speak with Harry later. This isn't' the time or place."

Severus nodded. "You're right," he answered and enjoyed the shocked expression on Harry and Ron's faces. "Minister Weasley will grace us," he continued, "with his ramblings about this joyous occasion in a few moments. We'll be meeting in the Great Hall." He turned to leave, but then he thought better of it. "Oh, and Mr. Malfoy, I do not know if Black loves me, but I do love him. I hope that satisfies your curiosity."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "You're such a drama queen," he whispered with affection.

"Then I have more in common with Shakespeare than even Granger would have imagined. Now, let's go find what other dunderheads are loitering around my school."

Sirius stifled a chuckle. "Yes, Headmaster," he said without hiding his sarcasm, but he fell in step with his lover. He smiled when he heard Hermione squeal and say, 'I told you so, but you never listen', and heard Ron and Harry groan in response.

Some things never changed--

He bumped into Severus who had stopped. His lover brushed his hair and asked, "Are you all right?"

Sirius heard the concern in Severus' deep voice. He leaned into the warm touch and nodded. "I'm fine."

Severus closed the gap and pressed his lips against Sirius'. "I don't say it often, but I love you."

Sirius grinned. 

\--But others changed for the better!


End file.
